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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28208943">Planting the Seed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDblue62/pseuds/BlueDblue62'>BlueDblue62</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hermitcraft</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Gun Violence, Home Invasion, M/M, Minor Violence, Rape Aftermath, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rough Oral Sex, The gun never gets fired but it's there, Vomiting, Zedpulse growth au, the neighbor is a character but this ain't about him he's not important yet, zed gets called kid but they're all in their early 20s</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-11 00:33:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,795</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28208943</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueDblue62/pseuds/BlueDblue62</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Zedaph doesn't lock his apartment door and pays for it with his innocence and also his cool retro VCR</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>None</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Planting the Seed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Read the tags please. Big don't like don't read moment :( this is kind of a vent but more in the way of "I have negative emotions I will now hurt fictional characters" as opposed to "this happened to me and I'm putting it into words"<br/>Aka this has not happened to me and I'm not an expert but I tried to do as much research as possible<br/>Stay safe everyone, don't feel obligated to read for any reason :)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Zedaph awoke to a painful ache in his neck, silently reminding himself why sleeping in bed was better than sleeping on the couch. He assumed it was either that or muffled noises just beyond his senses being the cause of his abrupt awakening. He kept his eyes closed as he continued to wake up, the more distinct sounds of the movie playing on his TV reaching his ears next as he mentally cursed himself for falling asleep with it on. That's going to be rough on the electricity bill. </p><p>His eyebrows furrowed as he processed the voices he heard; softer than the TV, coming from behind him. Too clear to be from a noisy neighbor or someone outside. </p><p>Trying to ignore the sense of dread that had begun to creep up on him, he listened in to the hushed conversation nearby and hoped he was just worrying for nothing. </p><p>“He’s <em> right there </em> , this is <em> really </em> risky.”</p><p>"Who cares? He's asleep, this can be an easy in and out. Just go ahead and start bagging shit now before he wakes up. I'll keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't bother you." </p><p>"So you want me to do all the work while you stand and do nothing?" </p><p>"Exactly!"</p><p>Zedaph felt his breathing grow heavier as he tried not to panic. There were people in his home. Voices he didn't recognize, people he didn't know. He was fully awake now, on high alert as he strained to hear two nearly silent pairs of footsteps begin walking, one of them growing softer as they walked deeper into his home. The other pair of footsteps were coming closer. Zedaph's whole body was tense with fear, hoping he could get away with looking asleep so they would walk right past. The intruder made their way around the front of the couch, and Zedaph held his breath as they passed by, afraid of making even the smallest noise. </p><p>The sound of soft rummaging around prompted him to open one of his eyes just enough so he could see the white light of the TV illuminating the stranger standing in front of the couch with his back to Zedaph, messing around with his belongings he had tossed onto the coffee table before his nap. Zedaph tried to move as slowly as he could, gradually pushing himself into a sitting position. The man didn't seem to hear him, Zedaph changing his thoughts about leaving the TV on now that it was successfully covering any sound he may make. The intruder was too busy flipping through Zedaph's wallet to notice anything was amiss. </p><p>Zedaph took the opportunity to lunge at the man while he was distracted, tackling him around his middle and making him trip over the coffee table, sending them both to the ground.</p><p>The man grunted in pain as he hit the floor hard, Zedaph's weight landing on him a moment later. He easily threw Zedaph off of himself with a swing of his elbow, connecting with Zedaph's collarbone and knocking him away, sending him sprawling onto his back. Zedaph was still recovering as the man scrambled to his feet, kicking Zedaph hard in the ribs and making him yelp, cowering on the floor and hugging himself for some sort of protection.</p><p>"Tango! What was that? Everything okay?" The second man returned to the room, brought in by the crash.</p><p>"Dumb kid grabbed me while I wasn't looking. I'm fine." The intruder, Tango, growled as he pocketed Zedaph's wallet with more force than necessary, glaring at Zedaph who was still on the ground, clutching his side where the kick had landed. "Go back to doing what you were doing, I've got him handled." </p><p>With a quick glance between the two of them as if making sure everything was fine, the other man gave a curt nod. He left the room again without another word, leaving Zedaph and this stranger alone once more. Zedaph pushed himself up while Tango's back was turned, wincing at the bruises he already felt forming on his ribs. Using the couch for balance, he began to stand on unsteady feet to prepare for another attack, halting all movement when Tango turned and pulled a handgun from the inside of his vest, pointing it at Zedaph's head. </p><p>"Don't move." He ordered coldly. Zedaph obeyed, completely frozen in place. He felt like his heart was in his throat, his stomach was in knots, he felt lightheaded with the amount of panic he was feeling. He'd never had a gun pointed at him before, never had he imagined he would be in this situation. The situation had escalated so fast, and he was already wishing he had kept pretending to sleep.</p><p>"Sit back down. On your knees." Tango's voice cut through his panic as he spoke again, the gun unwavering. Zedaph felt like his knees might give out on him with how badly they were shaking, carefully kneeling down on the floor and putting his hands above his head.</p><p>"I- I'm- Please, I-" he stuttered in a panic, unsure of what he even wanted to say. Zedaph had felt so brave a moment ago, ready to fight off the attackers, but now fear clouded his mind. He shut his eyes when Tango stepped closer, the gun still aimed at his forehead. Zedaph felt the cold metal touch his skin, a trembling gasp escaping his lips. </p><p>"I'm sorry I attacked you, please, I- I-" he broke off into a frightened sob, cowering under the intruder. He cursed himself for breaking so easily, but he didn't want to die tonight. All the things he would never do, the things left unsaid flashed through his mind. He would never get married, never have children, never have grandchildren, never-</p><p>Zedaph's thoughts were cut short when he felt the gun under his chin, muscles tense as the cold barrel of it guided his head to tilt upwards, opening his eyes and feeling the tears escape and roll down his cheeks. Tango was staring down at him, his eyebrows furrowed and thoughtful. </p><p>"If you would have just stayed asleep and let us do our thing, we wouldn't be in this predicament." He said with fake sympathy, tapping the gun against Zedaph's chin and making him whimper. "Pretty stupid of you to try and attack me. I could kill you right now. You wouldn't have a chance." Tango went on, raising the gun again so it was pointed at Zedaph's forehead. The tears came faster, his whole body trembling and he shut his eyes, preparing for the worst. When nothing happened for a few seconds, he slowly opened one eye curiously to see why Tango had not-</p><p>"BANG!" Tango yelled suddenly, shoving the gun against his forehead abruptly and making Zedaph flinch so hard he felt his heart stop beating for a second. A fresh wave of sobs surfaced as he recovered from the scare, his heart beating in his ears almost loud enough to cover the sound of Tango laughing at him.</p><p>"Oh my God, you got so scared!" He cackled, uncaring of the soft whimpers of fear from Zedaph. Tango's laughter made his ears ring, his chest hurting with how scared he was. Tango's laughter died down a moment later to soft chuckles, the gun returning to its place between Zedaph's eyes. "That could have been the end of you, right then. Sitting on your floor, crying like a baby. What a way to go!" Tango mocked.</p><p>Zedaph didn't respond, trying to catch his breath through hiccuping sobs. He cowered shamefully, keeping his head held down in submission. His heart still beat hard enough that it was beginning to make his chest ache, his limbs trembling with the adrenaline that flowed through them.</p><p>"Hey. Open your eyes. Look at me." Tango demanded suddenly, the laughter gone from his voice. Zedaph swallowed hard, lifting his head and opening his eyes reluctantly to look up at the man towering over him. Tango had a wicked smile on his face, one that made Zedaph feel sick with fear. </p><p>"You've got pretty eyes." The compliment came out of nowhere, Zedaph blinking in confusion. That hadn't been what he was expecting.</p><p>"Wh… what?" </p><p>"Your eyes. They're a nice color." Tango repeated, tilting his head to the side as his eyes roamed over Zedaph's body, making him feel small and helpless. "The rest of you isn't too bad, either." Zedaph closed his eyes as if he could hide away from the unwanted praise, feeling his skin crawl. Rough fingers grabbed his jaw and forced his head up further, his eyes opening again at the unspoken command, staring fearfully at Tango.</p><p>A thumb pushed down on his bottom lip, a clear order to open his mouth. Zedaph obeyed apprehensively, closing his eyes as he felt shame heat his face. Tango's thumb dipped into his mouth to brush against his tongue for a moment; Zedaph couldn't help but gag, cringing as he fought not to think about where Tango's hands had been. </p><p>"Come on, suck. Show me what that mouth can do and maybe I'll spare you." Tango offered, and Zedaph was quick to wrap his lips around his thumb, trying not to throw up at the taste. Zedaph felt sick at the soft moan that came from the intruder, nearly gagging again at the idea of the other man getting off on this. Zedaph coughed and sputtered when the thumb was removed, the saliva covered digit carelessly wiped onto Tango's pants. </p><p>"Good boy. You're a good listener." Tango praised, grinning maliciously. "I think I know <em> just </em> what to do with you. You don't wanna die tonight, right?" </p><p>"No- No, of course not! Please-" </p><p>"Okay, you really need to shut up. Your accent is killing my boner." Tango snapped, making Zedaph shut his mouth in a hurry. He watched with wide eyes as Tango's hand went to his belt, deftly undoing the clasp with one hand. "So what I'm hearing is, you'll do anything for your life?" He purred, Zedaph closing his eyes so tightly that colors flashed behind his eyelids, his lungs burning as he fought to breathe through oncoming panic. This man couldn't be serious. This can't be real. This has to be a bad dream, and he'll wake up on the couch soon, and it'll all just be a bad dream. He heard the rustling of fabric close to his face, turning his head away in protest. </p><p>"You were just listening to me so well, what happened? Come on, don't be shy." Tango coaxed. Zedaph shook his head defiantly, keeping his lips shut tightly even as he felt the warm press of what was surely Tango's erection against his lips. He couldn't help but wonder how Tango was already hard; perhaps looting people's homes and assaulting them was what turned him on. Zedaph whimpered fearfully, ducking his head away and instinctively pushing at Tango's legs to put some distance between them.</p><p>"Don't fucking touch me!" Tango snapped, and Zedaph's hands flew to their original place above his head in surrender, sobbing fearfully as Tango raised his voice. "Put your hands behind your back and keep them there. Open your mouth." Tango demanded, Zedaph following the first instruction immediately, but refusing the second. Instead, he continued to cry, trying to shy away from the other man as best he could. Tango wasn't having it, pushing the gun against his head harder and growling.</p><p>"Look at me, and open your mouth. I'm not gonna ask you again." </p><p>"Tango, what are you doing?" </p><p>Tango turned his head, and Zedaph opened his eyes to look up at the voice. The other intruder had apparently finished searching the other rooms of his small apartment and was now checking in on his partner. Zedaph didn't want to think about how much of his stuff was now tucked away in the backpack the brunette had over one shoulder, already dreading having to replace his things. </p><p>"I'm keeping him busy, making sure he doesn't pull a fast one on either of us." Tango hummed nonchalantly. Zedaph's eyes followed the second man as he walked closer, cowering away from him fearfully.</p><p>"Please- please no, I don't want any more trouble. I swear, I'll- I'll-" </p><p>The man seemed uninterested in Zedaph, glaring at Tango instead.</p><p>"Seriously, man? We didn't come here to do this, we shouldn't be messing around. We should have been out of here already, and we probably would be if you would help me out instead of… whatever this is." His eyes left Tango's face to glance at Zedaph instead, his neutral expression shifting into one almost resembling pity. </p><p>"Ugh, you just don't know how to have fun." Tango grumbled, looking back down at his victim. "Come on Impy, just look at him! You'd do the same if you were in my position." Tango whined, getting a scoff in reply. </p><p>"He looks miserable, I don't know how you get off on that." He replied, breaking eye contact with Zedaph. The look of pity vanished, Zedaph's hopes of mercy from the more level-headed man disappearing along with it. "I'm going to finish with this room, since clearly you aren't going to help me."</p><p>Zedaph sobbed weakly as they talked like he wasn't even there, feeling utterly helpless. He wanted to stop them, wanted to stop just sitting and letting them do what they wanted, but the cold metal still hovering near his forehead was a brutal reminder of what would happen if he tried anything. He was so busy in his own head that he was surprised when the tip of Tango's cock nudged his lips again, shutting his mouth as tightly as he could when he felt Tango attempt to push past his defences. Tango growled in frustration, grabbing Zedaph's chin and digging his fingernails into his skin until Zedaph cried out in pain. Tango took the opportunity to wrench his mouth open forcefully, shoving his cock between soft lips before he could close them again. </p><p>"If you even <em> think </em>about biting, I'll put a bullet through your skull." Tango threatened darkly, tapping the muzzle of the gun against Zedaph's head, like he needed reminding of the danger that was still very present. Tango's free hand grabbed a fistful of soft blonde hair, pulling him down to take more into his mouth without pausing for Zedaph to recover. Zedaph couldn't help his shaking sobs, tears choking him before the intrusion could even make it to his throat. He gagged as soon as it pushed too far, hands gripping feebly at Tango's pants. He was shocked when he didn't get yelled at again, Tango seeming to be too preoccupied to care about being touched at the moment.</p><p>"Open your eyes and look up at me, cute thing. I wanna see those pretty eyes." Tango breathed, getting Zedaph to open his eyes reluctantly, looking up at the cruel smile on the man's face.</p><p>"Don't make me do all the work, now. Suck it, baby." Tango encouraged, his sweet tone making Zedaph gag again, concerned his dinner was about to make a reappearance at the sound of the pet name. He sucked as best he could through his hiccuping sobs, anything to please the man and make this end sooner. Tango let out a pleased moan at his cooperation, tugging on his hair to move his head back and forth on his cock, every push forcing it further down. Zedaph was struggling to breathe as each thrust gave him less time to catch his breath, Tango's hips grinding against his face without pulling back. Zedaph panicked when he couldn't breathe, tears making it impossible to breathe through his nose, fingers digging into the dark jeans in front of him. He was sure it was the end for him as he felt himself going light-headed; Tango pulled him off roughly just as Zedaph thought he was about to pass out. </p><p>"You give a really shitty blowjob. Have you never sucked dick before?" He asked rhetorically, barely giving him a moment to take in a few shallow breaths before filling his mouth once more. Zedaph felt more tears rushing down his cheeks, shameful and embarrassed. He <em> hadn't </em> done this before. He'd never done this with anyone, and after this experience, he was sure he was no longer interested in doing it ever again.</p><p>Tango's moans echoed in Zedaph's ears, each thrust of his hips against Zedaph's face making him give a muffled cry past the cock in his mouth.</p><p>"Can you keep it down a bit? I'm trying to work."</p><p>"Shut up, dude. You're just jealous." Tango answered breathlessly, gripping Zedaph's hair even tighter as his thrusts sped up, grunting from exertion. He pressed in as deep as he could on the last thrust, pressing Zedaph's face against his pelvis uncomfortably as he came, moaning in satisfaction. The worst of it had gone right down Zedaph's throat, missing his taste buds, but as Tango pulled out he got a taste of the salty cum on the back of his tongue, immediately making him gag, falling forward and catching himself on his hands as he coughed and cried with his head hung low. </p><p>"Well, you've successfully managed to waste enough time for me to finish grabbing everything while you stood here and had your fun. It's time to go." The other intruder's voice reached Zedaph's ears, too exhausted to lift his head.</p><p>"Can't you give me a second to bask in the afterglow, man?" Tango complained. "You're really gonna pass up on this? I mean, he's shit at sucking dick, but at least he's cute." Zedaph wasn't fully recovered when his hair was grabbed and pulled until he was sat up on his knees again, his head forced to turn and look at the other man. He was looking down at Zedaph with a frown. </p><p>"Just look at this face. Look at how pretty he is. If I hadn't just nut, I'd happily take him again right now." Tango said, his words making Zedaph sob pathetically. </p><p>"Please, don't…" he choked out in a hoarse whimper, trembling and crying where he knelt. He didn't have it in him to fight anymore. He just wanted this to stop. He felt used and violated, weak and helpless. The tears seemed to have no end as they wet his cheeks. </p><p>"Come on, Impy. Live a little!" Tango encouraged, nudging Zedaph forward and making him stumble, clutching the other man's shorts to keep himself upright.</p><p>The nausea returned full force as he watched the man slowly reach for his belt buckle, unclasping it and rubbing himself through his boxers. </p><p>"Not again, I can't do it again, please, don't…" Zedaph closed his eyes as he cried, the taste of Tango still sour on his tongue, his throat raw from abuse. He didn't want to do this again, he <em> couldn't </em> do this again.</p><p>"Open up for round two!" Tango said in a sing-song voice, giving his hair a harsh yank that made him feel dizzy.</p><p>Just like last time, it started with the intrusive push past his lips, the thick cock in his mouth muffling his cries. He didn't have the energy to do much of anything in retaliation at this point. He just wanted it to be over. The man began thrusting into his mouth while Tango held Zedaph still, occasionally pushing his head further down when he felt things were going too slowly.</p><p>Soon the intruder had a rhythm going, grunting with each deep thrust. He was wider than Tango, Zedaph's jaw aching as his mouth was forced open wide to accommodate. He felt like he barely existed in his own body anymore, could hardly feel the hard floor under his knees. His ears were ringing so loudly it overpowered the sound of moans and filth spit in his direction. He gagged and choked as cum suddenly hit the back of his mouth, jerking his head away in disgust as he coughed, spitting it onto the floor. Laughter was heard above him, and he slowly lifted his head, gazing miserably at the two intruders in his home as they laughed at his struggle. Tango was the first to speak afterwards, his mocking tone sounding like nails on a chalkboard to Zedaph's ears.</p><p>“What I wouldn't give to take you home with me. <em> Such </em> a pretty sight.”</p><p>“We aren't going to become kidnappers tonight. We really should be going, <em> now </em>.” His partner urged, tucking his dick back into his pants and fixing his belt. </p><p>“Fine, I’m satisfied anyway. Oh, wait- One last thing!” Tango exclaimed, pulling his phone out of his pocket. He held his phone up above his head, tugging his partner in close. “Take a selfie with me, Impy! Oh- get the kid in the picture, too!” </p><p>Zedaph looked up at the phone held high in the air, seeing his face on the screen as Tango readied the front facing camera. Though the image was small from where he sat, he could still see how red his face was, the way his cheeks shone with tears. The drool and cum that stained his chin, and the disheveled state of his hair. He felt fresh tears spill from his eyes at the state of himself, wincing when the front flash of the camera illuminated the dark room for a split second. He kept his eyes closed afterwards, staying on his hands and knees with his head bowed as he waited for the men to just leave already. Another flash from the phone was visible even past his closed eyelids, making him flinch once more.</p><p>“And one more just of him, for later. Alright, I'm good to go now.”</p><p>“Finally. Have you checked his pockets for anything valuable, by the way?”</p><p>“Oh, shit-”</p><p>Zedaph wasn't prepared when hands grabbed him, shoving him onto his belly and keeping him pinned to the floor with a knee pressed against his spine. He struggled for a moment but quickly gave up, having no energy to fight anymore. He laid limp like a ragdoll on the hard floor as his pockets were searched; he couldn't even remember what he had on him anymore.</p><p>“His phone! Score!” Tango announced, holding up the phone like a trophy. He climbed off of Zedaph, who didn't bother getting up once he was freed. </p><p>“Wow, this phone is in great shape! Did you just get it brand new?” Tango asked, getting no reply. Tango scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Whatever. Better than you trying to fight us again.”</p><p>“Are you sure he’s okay?” Zedaph could almost confuse the man's tone of voice for something akin to concern.</p><p>“Seriously, dude? Why do you care?” Tango replied with a scoff.</p><p>“Because I don't want a fucking murder on my track record.”</p><p>“He's fine, sucking cock never killed anyone. Anything else you want before we go?” Tango brushed it off like it was nothing, already heading for the door.</p><p>"I wanted to leave 5 minutes ago." Tango's partner reminded him with an edge to his voice, both sets of their footsteps getting further away. Zedaph turned his head to watch them leave, their voices nothing more than mumbles to his ears once they had left, his door swinging shut behind them. </p><p>Zedaph laid on his floor silently even after he couldn't hear their footsteps outside his door anymore, even after 10 minutes had passed and nothing changed. His bruised ribs ached and his muscles felt weak, the pain in his body properly setting in without adrenaline to keep him going. He slowly pushed himself up with one arm, hauling himself to his feet using the coffee table and couch to lean on while he focused on getting his legs steady. Once he was stood up straight, he looked around his living area to assess the damage. </p><p>They had left his television, presumably because it was too heavy to carry out, but they had taken his retro VCR, his game consoles, and all of his video games. Zedaph remembered leaving his laptop out on his kitchen counter; he was positive it was gone too without even having to check. He made his way to his small bathroom, leaning both hands on the sink as he looked himself in the mirror. </p><p>Exhausted indigo eyes stared back, the whites of his eyes red from all of the crying. Red, finger-shaped marks that would surely become dark bruises in the next day or so stood out on his jaw, his lips red and swollen from the abuse they had taken. His hair was still a mess, his cheeks red and covered in dry tear tracks that went all the way to his chin, indistinguishable from the dried spit and cum that also resided there. </p><p>He swallowed hard as bile rose in his throat, the phantom feeling of his airway being obstructed making him feel sick all over again. Zedaph swallowed again as he tried to fight off the urge to vomit, but the sour taste of cum still on his tongue pushed him over the edge, stumbling to the side and falling to his knees in front of his toilet, grasping the sides of the bowl as he heaved. His already irritated throat burned even further as he expelled the contents of his stomach into the toilet, feeling more tears drip off of his chin. He kept his eyes firmly shut as he fumbled for the handle, knowing he would only get sick again if he had to see the mess. He stood up again once he heard the flush, using the sink counter to haul himself back to his feet, feeling even more sick than before. </p><p>Without sparing another look into the mirror, Zedaph turned the sink on. His hands were shaking badly when he put them under the cold water, bringing them up to his face to wash away as much of his shame as he could.</p><p>There wasn't anything he could do about the bruises or his teary red eyes at the moment, but at least his face felt a little bit cleaner once he was done scrubbing his hands over his cheeks until they were red. </p><p>He still had a bad taste in his mouth from the whole ordeal, both literally and figuratively, but he decided that while still sickening, the taste of his own vomit was much more palatable than the alternative. His throat still burned as he attempted to swallow the sour taste down, nearly making himself sick all over again. </p><p>After gazing ruefully at his own reflection for a bit longer, Zedaph ended the staring contest with himself and pushed away from the sink, trudging back out into his apartment. Opening his front door, he surveyed the area quickly to make sure the two men were not still hanging around nearby. It was still dark out so he couldn't see much, the moon still high in the sky and the parking lot illuminated by only a single lamppost. Nothing caught his eye, so he walked the few steps to his neighbors door, knocking on it. </p><p>He stood with his hands in his pockets, staring down at the ground. The night was cold and he wasn't wearing a jacket, already feeling himself start to shiver. He hoped he wouldn't have to wait much longer. After about 30 seconds of no response, he knocked again. Finally, Zedaph saw the lights turn on before he heard the click of the door unlocking- he distantly made a note to always lock his own door after tonight- and the door opened to show his neighbor, who had clearly just woken up. </p><p>"Zedaph…? What are you doing? It's nearly 3am." He mumbled tiredly, frowning at him. Zedaph felt guilty, looking back down at the ground. </p><p>"I know. I'm sorry." He mumbled, cringing at the sound of his own voice. Hoarse, quiet, and miserable. </p><p>"Zed? Are you okay?" He asked more gently, worry creasing his face. </p><p>"No, not really. My- My place was just broken into. Is it alright if I use your phone to call the police to report it?" He asked softly, not looking up, the shameful feeling of being unable to protect himself returning. "Robbers stole my phone. Couldn't make the call myself."</p><p>"Oh my God, you got robbed?" He gasped, taken aback. "Holy shit- Dammit Zed, I told you leaving your door unlocked would get you into trouble!"</p><p>"I didn't want to be stuck outside if I ever forgot my keys…" </p><p>"Okay, just- Come in, you can stay the night after you call 911, if you want. God, I- I didn't even hear anything, I slept right through it… and these walls are so thin…"</p><p>"It's okay, there was nothing you could have done anyway." Zedaph muttered, accepting the invitation inside.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Special thanks to Russet for the beta read and thanks to the others who supported and encouraged me to write this LMAO</p><p>I read over this maybe 15 times before posting so I really hope I didn't forget or mess anything up! 🤪</p></blockquote></div></div>
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